LOWELL, MI - Between 400 and 500 Lowell residents could lose power by 8 a.m. Sunday morning if the Flat River crests at 19.5 feet as expected, city manager Mark Howe said.

“If it gets to that 19.5 then that is going to put us in a situation where we believe we will have to turn power off,” Howe said Saturday afternoon, noting that as of 4 p.m. the river was at 18.8 feet.

Howe said the power outage would affect customers – a mixture of residents and businesses – of Lowell Light and Power who live east of the Flat. A transformer is located at the city’s library, and it must be turned off before water touches it.

Representatives of the city went door-to-door to notify residents of the possible outage, Howe said, pointing those who need assistance to an emergency shelter at the First Baptist Church, 2275 W. Main St.

“We were taking note of houses where people didn’t answer, but also asking if there were elderly in the neighborhood,” he said. “We’ve identified if there was anybody with special needs and we’ve turned that over to the appropriate emergency response personnel.”

If power is shut-off, it’s unclear how long the outage will last. But Howe said the city is letting residents know that “they should at least plan for a day or two.”

“If power does go off, people can go the refuge (First Baptist Church) and take shelter there,” he said.

Howe said he was pleased with how residents have responded to the flooding, noting that neighbors have often reached out to help one another.

“This community has responded with courage and determination,” he said. “For the last two days, we’ve had hundreds of people who have volunteered, who have helped their neighbors, who have helped public service officials. Everybody is just coming together.

Many residents Saturday were startled by the flooding and the damage it inflicted when it seeped into the basements of homeowners. Others did their best to stay upbeat, even making light of the situation.

As Steve and Deb Shepard surveyed the flooding in their neighborhood near Main Street in downtown Lowell, they recalled how a group of residents floated by in kayaks earlier in the day.